An auction that begins as a treasure hunt ends in murder, and an incredible discovery sends Asey Mayo off on a hunt for a killer, in this 1943 mystery. Were there secrets between rival art dealers Miss Pitkin and Mr. Harmsworth, Asey wonders? And where does auctioneer Quin Sharp fit in? The adventures of handyman-turned-sleuth Asey (formally Asa) Mayo are overflowing with the flavor of Cape Cod—hardly surprising, since Phoebe Atwood Taylor was the first member of her family who wasn't born on the Cape in 300 years, but unusual for crime fiction of the day.

"Taylor's droll period whodunits are a special treat, thanks to the Codfish Sherlock, Asey Mayo, a salty Cape codger who entertains summer visitors by solving picturesque crimes."—NYTimes